This year's 30-day Legislative Session wrapped up last Thursday at noon and was by many acccounts more tense and chaotic than usual. Many of the bills on Gov. Bill Richardson's agenda failed to pass, and it remains to be seen whether he'll call a Special Session. The next regular session takes place in January. In the meantime, here are some highlights from this year. Most bills passed will go into effect on May 17. For further details on any of the bills for this session, visit legis.state.nm.us/lcs.

Why the tax relief bill failed

By Jerry Ortiz y Pino

With tax money from oil and gas production pouring into the State of New Mexico's coffers at an unprecedented rate, you might think the process of shaping a budget for the coming 12 months would be relatively simple. You would be wrong.

Dateline: England—Police in Hampshire on the hunt for six missing water buffalo have warned locals to be on the lookout for flying feces. The buffalo were last seen in a field in Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington, early last week. Police believe the animals were stolen because there was no trail of telltale dung at the scene. According to BBC online, a police spokesperson warned people who might stumble across the livestock, “They should not be approached from behind ... as the animals are able to spray dung across large distances.” Most water buffalo are native to Asia, but have been increasingly imported to the UK to produce specialty milk, cheese and yogurt.

[Re: Feature, “The Heartbeat of Africa,” Feb. 16-22] Thank you for your interest in the African dance community here in Albuquerque. I hope the article will contribute to the ongoing evolution of the community.